Hines Ward
Encyclopedia
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football
player who currently plays the wide receiver
position for the NFL
's Pittsburgh Steelers
, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL
. He played college football
at the University of Georgia
. Born in Seoul
, South Korea
to a Korean mother and an African American
father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social
acceptance of foreigners in Korea
, especially mixed-race
youth.
, South Korea
, to an African American
father, Hines Ward Sr., and Korean mother, Kim Young He (김영희). His family moved to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia
when Hines Jr. was one, and Hines Sr. went to Germany
to serve a tour of duty
. The next year Hines' parents divorced, and after Hines Sr. convinced a family court that Kim could not raise Hines Jr. independently, because she did not speak English, Hines Jr. lived with his paternal grandmother Martha Ward until he was seven. Under the guidance of coach Mike Parris at Forest Park High School in Forest Park
, Georgia
, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback, and was two-time Clayton County
Offensive Player of the Year.
Bulldogs
(1994–1997), Ward's 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played tailback
and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker
in Bulldogs history. In 1996, Hines had 52 receptions for 900 yards, and also ran 26 times for 170 yards. In 1997, Hines hauled in 55 passes and scored six TDs, getting All-SEC honors in the process. Ward played some quarterback his sophomore year, and holds Georgia bowl records for Pass Attempts, Pass Completions, and Passing Yards in the 1995 Peach Bowl in which he completed 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards.
When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL
in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood. According to a Yahoo! Sports
article, Ward broke his kneecap in the fourth grade and the doctors never accounted for the ligament.
This may have affected his position in the NFL draft. He received his bachelor's degree
in consumer economics from UGA, where he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity.
Ward's versatility has served him well as a professional wide receiver. Since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft
, he has earned three team Most Valuable Player
(MVP) selections. He is considered to be one of the best wideouts in the game because of his great hands and his willingness to block. He is also a four-time NFL Pro Bowl
selection (2001–2004). He also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, which likely could have continued in the 2005 NFL season if he had not missed a game due to injury. In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12) and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams. While he is considered one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, he has also been criticized for habitually hitting defenders on their blind-side. Ward has twice been named the NFL's dirtiest player, as determined by a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players; the most recent was in 2009.
In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded by the Steelers that they could work out an extension during the year. Ward eventually showed up on August 15, 2005 and was on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles
that night, though he did not play in that game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $25.83 million with Ward.
On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns
on Sunday Night Football
surpassing John Stallworth
's record. The Steelers won 34-21.
Ward is also renowned as a terrific post-season receiver, accumulating 76 receptions, 1,064 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns in 14 post-season appearances. On February 5, 2006, Ward was named MVP
in Super Bowl XL
as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward became the second foreign born player to earn the accolade. Ward scored a 43 yard touchdown in the 4th quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El
. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards, one TD and one rush for 18 yards.
Immediately following Super Bowl XL
, Ward was videotaped for the latest "I'm Going to Disney World!" TV commercial, adding "...and I'm taking The Bus!" Ward and Steelers teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis
appeared in a victory parade at the Magic Kingdom
theme park on February 6 along with Emmitt Smith
.
On December 2, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception against the Bengals
on Sunday Night Football. Then on December 20, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Louis Rams
.
A physical player, Ward was criticized for his block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals
linebacker
Keith Rivers
during a game on October 19, 2008. The impact of the block left Rivers with a broken jaw. Ward was not penalized for his hard block and it was later deemed to be within the rules and he was not fined by the league, though the league would pass a rule banning such hits for the 2009 NFL season
.
According to Terrell Suggs
of the Baltimore Ravens
when the Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers
on Monday Night Football
that season, the Ravens players placed a bounty on Ward and rookie running back
Rashard Mendenhall
. Mendenhall left the game with a broken shoulder which ended his season. Ward talked about Suggs' comments in an interview on Pardon the Interruption
. Although he held up an NFL policy banning bounties, he thought it was also humorous that they would do it to him.
On December 28, 2008, Ward caught his 800th NFL reception, extending his record for receptions by a Steeler receiver. Also in this game, Ward achieved his first 1000 yard season since 2004, finishing with 81 receptions for 1043 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. In the 2008 Playoffs, Ward recorded 9 receptions for 168 yards. In the 27-23 win over Arizona Cardinals
at the Super Bowl XLIII
, Ward played a supporting role, catching two passes for 43 yards. He played the game with a sprained right MCL. Two weeks after the Super Bowl, he underwent a minor surgical procedure on his shoulder and further operation will not be necessary.
Ward was signed to a four-year, $22 million extension by the Steelers on April 25, 2009, which will likely keep him with the Steelers for the remainder of his career.
On September 28, 2009, during the 2009 Season game against Cincinnati, Ward’s four catches for 82 yards vaulted him past 10,000 career receiving yards and made him the first wide receiver in Steelers’ history to achieve that plateau. On third-and-two Ben Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 14-yard gain, giving Ward 10,001 career receiving yards. Ward finished the 2009 season with 95 receptions for 1,167 yards and 6 touchdowns.
In a September 12, 2010, home game against the Atlanta Falcons, Ward became the first player in Steeler history to surpass 11,000 receiving yards. He caught 108 yards worth of passes in that game to pass Hall of Fame Steeler receiver John Stallworth for most 100-yard receiving games all time for the Steelers with his 26th. His 6 catches against the Falcons gave him 901 for his career, making him only the 12th NFL player of all time to surpass 900 career receptions.
Ward's streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception came to an end in a 39-26 loss against the New England Patriots
in Week 10 of the 2010 season. A short catch by Ward was knocked loose when he was tackled by safeties, Patrick Chung
and James Sanders, and was knocked out of the rest of the game; the Patriots challenged the call, and the pass was ruled incomplete on review, ending the streak.
Hines Ward resides in Sandy Springs, Georgia
, and has a son named Jaden whom he had with his ex-wife Simone Ward. On his upper right arm he has a tattoo of Mickey Mouse in the Heisman
pose, just below a tattoo of his name in Korean.
On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments. The company filed suit for the return of the money, and Lettieri subsequently justified his actions by claiming that the money was owed to him, also voicing the belief that the other co-owners, Ward and Kimberly Pitts, as well as Pitts' husband, Korry Pitts, had falsified invoices and diverted company funds to their own bank accounts. Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded," and the matter currently is before the court.
The Locker Room reopened under the name South Side 86 (because of Ward), and is owned entirely by Ward, who bought out his co owners.
In September 2006 Ward began hosting the Hines Ward Show on Pittsburgh CBS O&O
KDKA-TV
.
to win the Super Bowl
MVP award. This achievement threw him into the spotlight of media in South Korea.
From April 3 through May 30, 2006, Ward returned to his birthplace of Seoul for the first time since his parents moved to the United States when he was one year old. Ward used his celebrity status to arrange "hope-sharing" meetings with multiracial
Korean children and to encourage social and political reform. At one hope-sharing meeting, he told a group of children, "If the country can accept me for who I am and accept me for being a Korean, I'm pretty sure that this country can change and accept you for who you are." On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million USD to create the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation, which the AP called "a foundation to help mixed-race children like himself in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination."
In January 2007 former Steeler and Pro Football Hall of Fame
member, Franco Harris
, owner of R Super Foods, honored Ward for his philanthropic efforts by featuring Ward's picture and story on boxes of Super Buns. Like Ward, Harris also won a Super Bowl MVP award (in Super Bowl IX
), and also is biracial, being of African American and Italian American
parentage.
In September 2010 President, Barack Obama
, appointed Ward as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
in DeKalb County, Georgia
after being witnessed by a MARTA
police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb. An officer of the DeKalb County Police Department
responded which led to the investigation and Ward's arrest. His manager, Andrew Ree, told the celebrity news website TMZ.com
that Ward "cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions." Additionally he stated "from our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving." According to the police report, Ward was arrested due to the fact he exhibited "bloodshot eyes, watery eyes, a strong odor of alcohol", and failed multiple field sobriety tests, including omitting letters when asked to recite the alphabet. Officer Catalano of the DeKalb County Police Department
stated he failed all eye nystagmus tests and that during a field sobriety test, swayed while balancing, used his arms for balance, improperly turned, and stepped off of the designated line. Ward was described as "defensive" and "agitated" during the incident and refused to take a breathalyzer test.
won season 12 of the American TV dance competition Dancing with the Stars
.
* In week 7, Donnie Burns
was the guest judge and scored the dances as well (first score listed is Burns').
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who currently plays the wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
position for the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. Born in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
to a Korean mother and an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social
Demographics of South Korea
This article is about the demographic features of the population of South Korea, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.-Background:...
acceptance of foreigners in Korea
Foreigners in Korea
Foreigners in Korea have never been a large portion of the population. Following the partition of Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War, the percent of foreigners in South Korea has risen to 2% of the total population, while North Korea remains racially homogeneous with a small ethnic Chinese...
, especially mixed-race
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
youth.
Early life
Ward was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, to an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
father, Hines Ward Sr., and Korean mother, Kim Young He (김영희). His family moved to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia
East Point, Georgia
The city of East Point is southwest of the neighborhoods of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 33,712...
when Hines Jr. was one, and Hines Sr. went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to serve a tour of duty
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
. The next year Hines' parents divorced, and after Hines Sr. convinced a family court that Kim could not raise Hines Jr. independently, because she did not speak English, Hines Jr. lived with his paternal grandmother Martha Ward until he was seven. Under the guidance of coach Mike Parris at Forest Park High School in Forest Park
Forest Park, Georgia
Forest Park is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. It is located approximately nine miles south of Atlanta and is part of the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback, and was two-time Clayton County
Clayton County, Georgia
Clayton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 236,517. The 2008 Census estimate placed the population at 273,718. The county seat is Jonesboro...
Offensive Player of the Year.
College career
As a wide receiver for the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
(1994–1997), Ward's 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
in Bulldogs history. In 1996, Hines had 52 receptions for 900 yards, and also ran 26 times for 170 yards. In 1997, Hines hauled in 55 passes and scored six TDs, getting All-SEC honors in the process. Ward played some quarterback his sophomore year, and holds Georgia bowl records for Pass Attempts, Pass Completions, and Passing Yards in the 1995 Peach Bowl in which he completed 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards.
When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood. According to a Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...
article, Ward broke his kneecap in the fourth grade and the doctors never accounted for the ligament.
This may have affected his position in the NFL draft. He received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in consumer economics from UGA, where he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
Fraternity.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
, he has earned three team Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(MVP) selections. He is considered to be one of the best wideouts in the game because of his great hands and his willingness to block. He is also a four-time NFL Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection (2001–2004). He also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, which likely could have continued in the 2005 NFL season if he had not missed a game due to injury. In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12) and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams. While he is considered one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, he has also been criticized for habitually hitting defenders on their blind-side. Ward has twice been named the NFL's dirtiest player, as determined by a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players; the most recent was in 2009.
In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded by the Steelers that they could work out an extension during the year. Ward eventually showed up on August 15, 2005 and was on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
that night, though he did not play in that game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $25.83 million with Ward.
On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
surpassing John Stallworth
John Stallworth
Johnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
's record. The Steelers won 34-21.
Ward is also renowned as a terrific post-season receiver, accumulating 76 receptions, 1,064 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns in 14 post-season appearances. On February 5, 2006, Ward was named MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
in Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward became the second foreign born player to earn the accolade. Ward scored a 43 yard touchdown in the 4th quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards, one TD and one rush for 18 yards.
Immediately following Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
, Ward was videotaped for the latest "I'm Going to Disney World!" TV commercial, adding "...and I'm taking The Bus!" Ward and Steelers teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
appeared in a victory parade at the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
theme park on February 6 along with Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
.
On December 2, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception against the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on Sunday Night Football. Then on December 20, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
A physical player, Ward was criticized for his block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Keith Rivers
Keith Rivers
Keith Rivers is an American football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals ninth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.-Early life:Rivers was a highly decorated letterman in football at Lake...
during a game on October 19, 2008. The impact of the block left Rivers with a broken jaw. Ward was not penalized for his hard block and it was later deemed to be within the rules and he was not fined by the league, though the league would pass a rule banning such hits for the 2009 NFL season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
.
According to Terrell Suggs
Terrell Suggs
Terrell Raymonn Suggs is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens tenth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Arizona State....
of the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
when the Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
that season, the Ravens players placed a bounty on Ward and rookie running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois....
. Mendenhall left the game with a broken shoulder which ended his season. Ward talked about Suggs' comments in an interview on Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
. Although he held up an NFL policy banning bounties, he thought it was also humorous that they would do it to him.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at the Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
, Ward played a supporting role, catching two passes for 43 yards. He played the game with a sprained right MCL. Two weeks after the Super Bowl, he underwent a minor surgical procedure on his shoulder and further operation will not be necessary.
Ward was signed to a four-year, $22 million extension by the Steelers on April 25, 2009, which will likely keep him with the Steelers for the remainder of his career.
On September 28, 2009, during the 2009 Season game against Cincinnati, Ward’s four catches for 82 yards vaulted him past 10,000 career receiving yards and made him the first wide receiver in Steelers’ history to achieve that plateau. On third-and-two Ben Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 14-yard gain, giving Ward 10,001 career receiving yards. Ward finished the 2009 season with 95 receptions for 1,167 yards and 6 touchdowns.
In a September 12, 2010, home game against the Atlanta Falcons, Ward became the first player in Steeler history to surpass 11,000 receiving yards. He caught 108 yards worth of passes in that game to pass Hall of Fame Steeler receiver John Stallworth for most 100-yard receiving games all time for the Steelers with his 26th. His 6 catches against the Falcons gave him 901 for his career, making him only the 12th NFL player of all time to surpass 900 career receptions.
Ward's streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception came to an end in a 39-26 loss against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in Week 10 of the 2010 season. A short catch by Ward was knocked loose when he was tackled by safeties, Patrick Chung
Patrick Chung
-New England Patriots:Chung was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed with the Patriots on July 27, 2009. In Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans on October 18, Chung was credited with his first career interception...
and James Sanders, and was knocked out of the rest of the game; the Patriots challenged the call, and the pass was ruled incomplete on review, ending the streak.
Personal
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
, and has a son named Jaden whom he had with his ex-wife Simone Ward. On his upper right arm he has a tattoo of Mickey Mouse in the Heisman
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
pose, just below a tattoo of his name in Korean.
Business and media enterprises
Ward co-owned a bar in Pittsburgh's South Side called The Locker Room. The bar sustained serious water damage in February 2007, due to flooding from a malfunctioning boiler, and it was closed for repairs until June of that year. The bar received an insurance settlement of $500,000, which subsequently became an issue during a legal dispute between the bar's owners.On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments. The company filed suit for the return of the money, and Lettieri subsequently justified his actions by claiming that the money was owed to him, also voicing the belief that the other co-owners, Ward and Kimberly Pitts, as well as Pitts' husband, Korry Pitts, had falsified invoices and diverted company funds to their own bank accounts. Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded," and the matter currently is before the court.
The Locker Room reopened under the name South Side 86 (because of Ward), and is owned entirely by Ward, who bought out his co owners.
In September 2006 Ward began hosting the Hines Ward Show on Pittsburgh CBS O&O
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
.
As a figure for social change
In 2006 Ward became the first Korean AmericanKorean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
MVP award. This achievement threw him into the spotlight of media in South Korea.
From April 3 through May 30, 2006, Ward returned to his birthplace of Seoul for the first time since his parents moved to the United States when he was one year old. Ward used his celebrity status to arrange "hope-sharing" meetings with multiracial
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
Korean children and to encourage social and political reform. At one hope-sharing meeting, he told a group of children, "If the country can accept me for who I am and accept me for being a Korean, I'm pretty sure that this country can change and accept you for who you are." On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million USD to create the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation, which the AP called "a foundation to help mixed-race children like himself in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination."
In January 2007 former Steeler and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
member, Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
, owner of R Super Foods, honored Ward for his philanthropic efforts by featuring Ward's picture and story on boxes of Super Buns. Like Ward, Harris also won a Super Bowl MVP award (in Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
), and also is biracial, being of African American and Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
parentage.
In September 2010 President, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, appointed Ward as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
D.U.I. arrest
On July 9, 2011, Hines Ward was arrested for driving under the influenceDriving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
in DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
after being witnessed by a MARTA
Marta
Marta may refer to:* Marta or Marta Vieira da Silva , a Brazilian women's football forward* Marta Estrella, a recurring fictional character from Arrested Development...
police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb. An officer of the DeKalb County Police Department
DeKalb County Police Department
The DeKalb County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia. The department serves a population of more than 730,000 people. The Chief is William O'Brien. The DeKalb County Public Safety Director is William "Wiz" Miller, a former DKPD...
responded which led to the investigation and Ward's arrest. His manager, Andrew Ree, told the celebrity news website TMZ.com
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
that Ward "cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions." Additionally he stated "from our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving." According to the police report, Ward was arrested due to the fact he exhibited "bloodshot eyes, watery eyes, a strong odor of alcohol", and failed multiple field sobriety tests, including omitting letters when asked to recite the alphabet. Officer Catalano of the DeKalb County Police Department
DeKalb County Police Department
The DeKalb County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia. The department serves a population of more than 730,000 people. The Chief is William O'Brien. The DeKalb County Public Safety Director is William "Wiz" Miller, a former DKPD...
stated he failed all eye nystagmus tests and that during a field sobriety test, swayed while balancing, used his arms for balance, improperly turned, and stepped off of the designated line. Ward was described as "defensive" and "agitated" during the incident and refused to take a breathalyzer test.
Dancing with the Stars performance
On May 24, 2011, Hines and his partner Kym JohnsonKym Johnson
Kym Johnson is an Australian former professional ballroom dancer, model, and television celebrity. She lives in Sydney NSW, Australia but is currently based in America for Dancing with the Stars.-Dance biography:...
won season 12 of the American TV dance competition Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 12)
Dancing with the Stars returned for its twelfth season on March 21, 2011. Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman returned to the show as judges, while Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke returned as hosts....
.
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha Cha-cha-cha (dance) The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953... / "Club Can't Handle Me Club Can't Handle Me "Club Can't Handle Me" is a song by American rapper Flo Rida featuring French disc jockey David Guetta. It was released as a digital download on iTunes on June 28, 2010 as the lead single of the Step Up 3D soundtrack album and is also included on Flo Rida's third studio album, Only One Flo ... " |
7 | 7 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep Quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events... / "Part-Time Lover Part-Time Lover "Part-Time Lover" is a 1985 single by Stevie Wonder, from his album In Square Circle. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, dance and adult contemporary charts. The song's simultaneous chart success made him the first artist to score a number-one hit on four different Billboard... " |
8 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Samba Samba Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival... / "Fantasy Fantasy (Earth, Wind & Fire song) "Fantasy" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire from their album All 'N All, released as a single in 1978. The selection was written and composed by Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio, and it reached #32 on the pop chart and #12 on the R&B singles chart in the United States, and #14 on... " |
9 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble/ "Explosive / Adagio for Strings Explosive/Adagio For Strings "Explosive/Adagio for Strings" is a rare promo single released by Bond. This single is also called "Explosive Promo" but the name was changed to "Explosive/Adagio for Strings"... " |
9 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba Rumba Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no... / "God Bless The USA God Bless the USA "God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No... " |
9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz Viennese Waltz Viennese Waltz is the genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, danced to the music of Viennese Waltz.What is now called... / "End of the Road End of the Road "End of the Road" is a 1992 Grammy Award-winning, number-one song recorded in May 1992 by Boyz II Men for the Motown label. Written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Daryl Simmons. It is Boyz II Men's most successful single and replaced Diana Ross and Lionel... " |
9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 7 | Team Cha-Cha-Cha Cha-cha-cha (dance) The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953... / "We R Who We R We R Who We R "We R Who We R" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha from her first extended play , Cannibal . The song was released as the EP's lead single on October 22, 2010. It was written by Kesha, with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Ammo. Production of the song was... " Tango Tango (dance) Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after.... / "Tango Misterioso" |
7*/7 9*/9 |
8 8 |
8 10 |
Safe |
| 8 | Foxtrot/"This Will Be This Will Be "This Will Be" is a song performed by Natalie Cole and composed by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. It was Natalie Cole's debut single in 1975 and one of her biggest hits, becoming a number-one R&B and number-six pop smash in the U.S. and also reaching the UK Top 40... " Jive Jive (dance) In Ballroom dancing, Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1930s. It was originally presented to the public as 'Jive' in 1934 by Cab Calloway. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance... / "Chantilly Lace Chantilly Lace (song) "Chantilly Lace" is the name of a rock and roll song, written and originally performed by The Big Bopper in 1958. The Co-writers of the song were Jerry Foster and Bill Rice... " |
9 9 |
9 9 |
10 8 |
Safe |
| 9 | Argentine Tango Argentine Tango Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of... / "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" Salsa Salsa (dance) Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle... /"Hello" Winner Take All Cha-Cha-Cha Cha-cha-cha (dance) The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953... / "Just Dance" |
10 10 Awarded |
10 10 0 |
10 10 points |
Safe |
| 10 | Quickstep Quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events... /"Puttin' On The Ritz Puttin' on the Ritz "Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz . The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the... " Freestyle Street dance Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc... /"Dancing Machine Dancing Machine "Dancing Machine" is a 1973 song recorded by The Jackson 5, released as a single in 1974. The group's first US Top Ten hit since 1971's "Sugar Daddy", "Dancing Machine" reached number two on the Billboard pop music charts in May 1974, and number one on the R&B charts... " and "I Want You Back I Want You Back "I Want You Back" was released in 1969 and in early 1970s became a number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label. The song, along with a b-side cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You", was the only single from the first Jackson 5 album, Diana Ross Presents... " Samba Samba Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival... /"Fantasy Fantasy (Earth, Wind & Fire song) "Fantasy" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire from their album All 'N All, released as a single in 1978. The selection was written and composed by Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio, and it reached #32 on the pop chart and #12 on the R&B singles chart in the United States, and #14 on... " |
10 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
WON |
Donnie Burns
Donnie Burns MBE was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1961. He is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin dance....
was the guest judge and scored the dances as well (first score listed is Burns').
External links
- Hines Ward Official Website
- 2006 "Hines Ward - Trip Of A Lifetime", Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, January 31, 2006 - "Living the Dream: Hines Ward's return to Korea", Malcolm Beith, NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
(International Edition), March 27, 2006 - "Ward spins biracial roots into blessing", Paul Wiseman, USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, April 9, 2006 - Hines Ward page at: